PAUL RYAN: I cannot support Donald Trump right now

In a move without precedent in recent political history, House
Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday said he is not ready to support
Donald Trump, his party's presumptive presidential nominee.

In a CNN interview, the speaker said that he cannot support or
endorse Trump until he unifies the Republican Party.

"To be perfectly candid with you, Jake, I'm just not ready to do
that at this point. I'm not there right now," Ryan told CNN host
Jake Tapper.

He continued: "I hope to, and I want to. But I think what is
required is to unify this party. And I think the bulk of the
burden on unifying the party will have to come from our
presumptive nominee."

The speakercalled on Trump to
"set aside bullying, set aside belittlement."

Despite his refusal to endorse Trump, Ryan congratulated the
real-estate magnate for effectively clinching the nomination,
saying that Republican leaders should take note of the sentiments
Trump tapped into. The speaker also said his nonendorsement right
now does not mean he is supporting Democratic presidential
frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Trump fired back in a statement late Thursday, saying he was "not
ready to support" Ryan's agenda, either.

"I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda," he said.
Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an
agreement about what is best for the American people. They have
been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for
politicians to put them first!"

Ryan's stance sets him apart from other congressional leaders,
many of whom have slowly begun to coalesce around the
controversial real-estate mogul. On Wednesday, Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell offered a tepid endorsement of Trump,
saying that he was "committed to supporting the nominee."

Still, Trump has faced extraordinary resistance among many
prominent Republican Party figures. Both former Presidents George
W. Bush and George H.W. Bush declined to endorse Trump, and 2012
presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney's staff confirmed on
Thursday that he would not attend the Republican National Convention in
July.